The Proclamation of the Gospel to the Whole World

Conference was resumed at 2 p. m. ¶

The choir and congregation sang, the hymn commencing : ¶

Come, come, ye Saints, no toil nor labor fear, But with joy wend your way; Though hard to you this journey may appear, Grace shall be as your day. ¶

Prayer was offered by Elder Anthony W. Ivins. ¶

The choir sang the hymn: Hark, listen to the trumpeters! They sound for volunteers, On Zion's bright and flowery mount: Behold the officers. ¶

The Lord will take care of His Church and people. — The Gospel to be heard by all the world. — Its power to correct evil and improve its devotees. — Joy attained only by doing good. — All nations represented in the United States. — Confide in the Lord for guidance in all things. — The Lord pleased with all His priesthood and people who do their duty. — Perpetuity of the Church. ¶

I shall be very pleased if I can make you hear. This congregation is much larger than we are used to speaking to, and this house is so much larger than our meeting-places generally that it is with difficulty some of the brethren make themselves heard, while others seem to have voices that are penetrating and clear, and are easily heard from the start. ¶

I rejoiced exceedingly this morning to see so generous an attendance upon the first meeting of the conference, and in being favored with a report from our President concerning his two months' absence from home, from which we can realize the extent of travel and amount of labor he performed in that length of time. I wonder if any brother beside him has gone abroad to recuperate and rest and has met so many of the Saints and Elders, preached so many discourses and comforted the hearts of so many people in two months' time as he has. While he was gone we were laboring at home in the ministry ; but he traveled and labored more than any of us who stayed at home, and yet he has come home rested, refreshed, invigorated, and almost new physically, for which we thank the Lord. ¶

The work that we are engaged in, my brethren and sisters, is the work of the Lord, as we heard this morning; and it will be the Lord's business, as it always has been, to take care of His Church and people, whom He has brought together, converted, and convinced of the truth. He has established in our hearts that spirit which makes us one, and which makes us a little different from any other people in the world ; for the Spirit of the Lord which we enjoy differs in degree from that possessed by other people. The Gospel that we have received, the doctrines and principles that have been revealed from the Lord are a little different from those entertained and embraced by other people. The Lord has revealed the true plan of life and salvation in these days, in addition to what we find in the ancient scriptures ; that is, He has made plain to us by modern revelation, and in the Nephite scriptures, doctrines that are not easily picked out by men from the Jewish scriptures. The ordinances of the Gospel, the way of life and salvation, have been pointed out to us in our own day, directly from the Lord through His Prophet, Joseph Smith, and through the living oracles who have succeeded that Prophet. So that today there is quite a handful of people, approaching half a million possibly in all the world, who believe in the Gospel as revealed through the Prophet Joseph. It has been revealed, it has been published abroad, it has been preached, it has been received and comprehended by this little handful of people. And we are increasing in numbers, spreading abroad as well as being gathered from the world. It is designed by the Lord that the leaven shall leaven the whole lump; that all the world shall have the privilege of hearing this Gospel, and shall be brought within reach of its spirit and ordinances, so that all the children of men, as well as the few who are Latter-day Saints, may have the privilege of hearing the Gospel and judging for themselves. ¶

I love the Gospel because it is the truth; because it corrects our errors and reproves us for our sins. The spirit of this work always condemns our transgressions. We are so trained and schooled under the influence of the Spirit of the Lord that we cannot do wrong with impunity. We cannot steal, nor lie, nor be immoral, impure or intemperate, nor in any manner trespass upon the rights of men or women, without feeling the condemnation which comes to our souls at the offense, and the departure of the Spirit of the Lord from us. We realize this individually ; every person knows it. It is not necessary for us to be told by our Bishop, or President, or anyone else ; we know ourselves, for we have entered into a personal agreement and compact with our Father in heaven to serve Him and keep His commandments, and He has consented to forgive our sins, to cleanse us, and to free us from the load of wickedness. Through our faith, obedience, repentance and works of righteousness we have entered into a covenant with Him to serve Him, and to obtain forgiveness of sins by our devotion and service to Him, not for a few years, not for a certain term, but for our natural lives and throughout eternity ; for what the Lord does is with reference to eternity. So that, when we enter into covenant with Him, it is not only for our natural lives, but it is for eternity. We undertake to serve Him, to honor Him, to keep His commandments, and to walk uprightly before Him. Then, by faithful service in this life, we are assured that the power of Satan with which we are assailed in this world shall cease in the world to come. It is not alone that we may conquer and have advantages while we live this short time in the world, but that hereafter we shall be set free, have absolute liberty, unlimited freedom, and that Satan cannot interfere with us. Now, what a splendid thing it is for us to have the guarantee of the Lord that if we will serve Him while we live in the flesh we shall thus baffle Satan, and he will not have power to "tempt us hereafter. We shall be free from him, and his right over us will not pursue us in the world to come. Bad enough to be tormented here; but if we will resist Satan and serve God He will give us freedom hereafter, and will redeem us from our sins and transgressions, from the effects of the fall, and exalt us in His presence, free from the power of Satan who reigns so generally in this fallen world. That is one of the great blessings we are to receive from the Lord. ¶

These are important things that the Lord guarantees to us through our faithfulness ; but we are expected to devote our lives to His service and to works of righteousness, in which there is joy, happiness and safety, physically, morally and spiritually. By doing right we are absolutely safe, free and fearless. We do not fear when we do right, we are afraid only when we transgress the law, when we break the ordinances, and when we disobey what is required of us ; for sin makes cowards of us all. As long as we work righteousness and serve the Lord we have no fear of any power in the earth. We may meet with hardships and trials in this life, which we are very likely to do, for it seems to be the lot of fallen man to have trials and difficulties, but if faithful there is redemption and salvation for us. Every man that works righteousness today is favored and blessed of the Lord. And that should be the effort of all Latter-day Saints ; for there is no profit in doing wrong. There is no reason why we should do wrong. There is no reason why we should be dishonest, immoral, intemperate, or corrupt in any degree; there is no profit in it. I wonder at myself and my brethren sometimes, when I discover our weaknesses, why it is that we should do wrong. Why should I wrong my brother? I never did wrong a brother in my life but I was ashamed of it and sorry for it. I have never done a wrong that I pride myself of. I have never gloried in wrongdoing ; but I have taken joy and felt happy in doing good, and in dealing by others as I would like them to deal by me, not only towards the household of faith, but everybody else. ¶

We are all the children of God; all men are His descendants. Some are Latter-day Saints, and some are not ; some believe in Deity, and some do not ; there are infidels, and there are heathen ; there are Christians who believe in the Lord Jesus, and there are others who do not believe in Him ; nevertheless, we are all the children of the Lord. We are one great family, having one common parent, who is our Father and the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is also our Redeemer and Savior. He shed His blood for us ; made that supreme offering, which has never been made by anyone else. He trod the winepress alone. He shed His blood that you and I might be redeemed, that our sins should be blotted out, and that we should be washed clean, pure and free from every stain that is upon us. We can very profitably serve the Lord and keep His commandments, for we know that this is the work of the Lord, that this is His Church and people, that this land has been kept for the gathering of His people, for their home, and to remain so, where they shall be trained and taught in the ways of the Lord and walk in His paths. We realize that this mountain country has been preserved and opened up at just the right time by the Lord for the gathering of His people from all the world. We can realize that we are just where the Lord wants us to be, and where He wants us to stay ; where He wants us to build up His kingdom ; where we have built temples; and from whence we have sent the Gospel to the world, and will continue to do so, for that is our ministry and mission. There shall not be a nation nor a section that shall not hear the Gospel. The way will be prepared among all the nations of the earth ; religious liberty will be established. This great nation of the United States is made up of pieces of other nations. We have invited everybody to come, and they have come. I suppose there is not a nation in the world that is not represented among the people of this republic. All the blood that flows in human veins upon this earth is represented among the people of the United States. And the Lord has done this; He has brought these people together ; He has prepared the way. He allowed this side of the world to be hidden for many centuries. It was lost to the knowledge of man ; but finally it was discovered. It has always been here since it was organized and created — and that is a long time ago, but it was lost sight of. At the right time, however, the Lord led men to discover this country. He led people to come and settle it, and He has controlled their settlements and the organization of the government, and has arranged that there should be liberty upon this side of the world. He has laid the foundations of a very great nation, a nation of great power, strength, wealth and wisdom. In this nation the Lord arranged to lay the foundations of His Church, and it is growing. It grows just as fast as all the membership do their duty faithfully and well. ¶

The Lord will take care of and preserve us if we will do right. It is the right of every Latter-day Saint to know the truth, and to know what is required of him or her, in business, in literature, in art, in science, in music, in politics, and in everything else. Let the Spirit of the Lord manifest to us in these matters. Let us be in such communication with the Lord that we may know just exactly what to do. Tell the Lord about our temporalities, what we desire to accomplish, and obtain the inspiration of the Lord. The Lord knows everyone of us ; He knows our feelings and our weaknesses. He comprehends us ; knows our necessities, our integrity, our faith. If not a hair of our heads can fall to the ground without His notice, how easy it is for Him to know our nature, our condition, our weaknesses, and our strong points. If we have intelligence, skill, wisdom. He discovers it. He knows our status exactly, therefore, let us be free with the Lord. Let us be familiar with Him in conversation and in conduct, and deport ourselves as in His presence ; for we are there. My brethren and my sisters, you never speak, you never think, you are never inspired, there is not an ambition in your heart, not a thought, either of virtue or of wickedness, that is not open before the Lord ; He comprehends these things. It is our duty therefore to so train ourselves day by day that it will be an easy matter for us to do right in the morning, at noon, and all through the day, so that when we retire at night we may be able to represent ourselves to our Father as having walked uprightly before Him all the day ; that we have not done wrong, but have been sober, temperate, conscientious and upright. "Father, I have kept the commandments of the Lord this day, be pleased to hear me. I have sickness in my family, I have weaknesses, I need assistance financially, I am in trouble, my heart is afflicted and tender, give me comfort, give me joy and consolation. In these hours of trial, when difficulty and darkness rise before us, when the clouds threaten us, Father, give us to know that we are in the line of our duty, that we have served Thee and are worthy of Thy favor and blessing, and that Thou wilt take care of us." ¶

That is the condition we should be in, my brethren and sisters, as the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Having entered into covenant with the Lord, having received His favor and His anointing, the unction of His Spirit, we should cultivate that Spirit until we can dwell in its light and inspiration all the day long and be guided by it in the performance of our duties, in the care of our families, in business and in everything else that legitimately occupies any share of our attention. The Lord will lead His people as a whole : He will lead President Joseph F. Smith : He will not let him go astray. I am under no obligation to take care of President Smith, or to correct him for fear he will go astray ; that is the business of the Lord, He has that work in hand. He has His servant in training, and He directs and counsels him. He leads him by His Spirit, and will always do so. You cannot do better than to sustain those whom the Lord sustains and has appointed. He has led us, He has called us forth, He has ordained and inspired us, and He has not inspired us any more than He has inspired you. Every member of this Church is entitled to the inspiration of the Lord. When a soul is brought unto a knowledge of the truth and baptized into the fold, that soul is just as precious in the sight of the Lord as is a Prophet, an Apostle, a President, or any other man, for he is a son of God. How we love our little children! You tender-hearted mothers, you fathers that are tender-hearted — I learn that fathers are tender-hearted. Down at Provo a couple of weeks ago I discovered that tenderheartedness is not alone with the mothers. There is a tender-hearted father also in Salt Lake City, and he is not alone, not an exception to the rule. I believe that fathers generally are tender-hearted as well as mothers. Now, do we love our children? Don't we feel a pride in the development and growth of our sons and daughters? Don't we rejoice exceedingly when they do right? Are we not grieved when they do wrong, when they are neglectful and careless, and when they are indifferent to God? Oh, how sorrowful and terrible it is when the fear of God is not before their eyes ! For we learn that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. If a man fears to offend his Maker, if he loves the Lord, he will undertake to do just exactly what the Lord wants him to do. He will seek after the Lord ; and every man who seeks after the Lord, with a pure heart and a repentant spirit, will find Him. The Lord will come to him, He will listen to him, will direct him, and open the way for him to find the truth and the way of escape from the troubles of this world. ¶

The Lord has this people in His care. He is looking after them, is pushing them together, and is multiplying them on every hand. They have their trials, hardships and difficulties; but the Lord will always be present to take care of them, for He loves them. This work must be built up, and the Lord will build it up with His people — our parents, our brothers and sisters, our descendants. He will continue to gather people from all the world, and the work will increase and spread abroad until it shall cover the earth. The Lord has set His hand the last time; He will finish His work in due time, and He will do it in a rational manner. Its growth and development will be legitimate, and we will comprehend it as it develops. We know the work, and also the people, because we have been associated with them almost from the beginning. The Lord's hand is over His people in all that is righteous ; not to save us in our sins, not to encourage or tolerate us in sin, but to bring us to repentance and reformation. That is the work the Lord is doing with His people today. He is pleased with His servant, President Joseph F. Smith, and with his counselors. He is pleased with the Twelve Apostles, the Seven Presidents of Seventies, and with the Presiding Patriarch. He is pleased with the High Priests, the Seventies, the Patriarchs, and with all the Priesthood who are laboring faithfully in the world doing their duty. ¶

As we heard from President Smith this morning, it is delightful to know that our boys go out into the world and preach the Gospel as they are doing. The Lord magnifies them and fills them with His Spirit, and it is marvelous what they are accomplishing. I appeal to this congregation today in behalf of our Elders in the field. I was with them a few years ago. I have spent a number of years in the field abroad as well as at home, and have labored with the Elders to some extent. I do not know that I did my full duty, but I endeavored to train your boys who were with me by thousands in the European Mission. I labored with every one of them, and entered into a compact with those young men that when we returned home we would serve the Lord and keep His commandments, we would sustain the authorities of the Church, and be true and faithful. We hear now that there are some brethren who, when they return home, forget what manner of men they have been. They forget what ministers and representatives of the Lord they have been in the earth, and return sometimes to their foolishness, and are not as de voted and faithful as they ought to be. Sometimes they may be neglected, and occasionally I wonder if they are properly taught in the missionary field. I hope they are. They should be thoroughly trained there ; in fact, they should be trained before they go, like the education of a child should begin before it is born. They ought to be taught at home, by fathers, by Bishops, by High Priests and Seventies ; not a boy should escape our attention. He should receive consideration at our hands, be encouraged, strengthened, stimulated, restrained if necessary, and warned of his waywardness, and be made a gentleman, a manly man, prepared to go out into the world with strength of character and the determination to do what is right, to represent the people of God, and to represent the Savior. We represent the Savior in that we go out clothed with His authority and with power to minister and officiate in His name, to preach the Gospel to the world, to call men to repentance and reformation, and to teach them the way of life and salvation, that the Spirit of the Lord may dwell in them, that they may be gathered and assist in the establishment of Zion and the accomplishment of the purposes of the Lord on this side of the world. ¶

The place of gathering for the present seems to be here; but the Lord's work will no doubt spread until finally it covers the earth as the waters cover the great deep. The design of the Lord is that His children shall be saved, and for that we labor. Our labors should not only be for the salvation of our boys when they return home, but also for the salvation of the people who gather. Our examples before them should be good. When they come from the various parts of the earth they should find Zion ; they expect to find Zion. They do not expect to find us following after the fashions and ways of the world. They understand that we have gathered out from the world, and are separated from the world, as we ought to be. We should be a peculiar people right here in Salt Lake City, and in all other cities, in every part of our state, and the other States where our people are found. We ought not to indulge in the things which are forbidden by the Lord. We should not be intemperate, profane. Not a Sabbath-breaker should be among the Latter-day Saints, nor a gambler. It is not necessary for us to be gamblers; it is not profitable; it is not a good business ; it is immoral, degrading and humiliating. The use of liquor, of tea, coffee and tobacco, is forbidden of the Lord ; He says they are not good for the people ; they defile and poison the system. Not a liar should be among the Latter-day Saints ; every man should speak the truth. Every man should do right by his neighbor; never wrong him, whether he is a Latter-day Saint or otherwise. Men may wrong us sometimes, but we should not retaliate; we should do good for evil. ¶

These are some sentiments entertained by the Latter-day Saints. Without multiplying words and taking more of your time, I desire to let you know that I realize that this Gospel of the Kingdom is here among the children of men for the last time, and that it is never to depart. The people will always have inspired men among them ; there will be Prophets and Apostles ; there will be men holding the Holy Priesthood, with authority to minister in the name of the Lord, now and forever upon this earth. This work will spread abroad and become more important in the world than it is today. It may meet with reverses, and evil influences and powers may be pitted against it, as in the past, but the triumph of the work is as certain as that we stand on this earth today. It cannot be otherwise for it is the Lord's work, not the work of Joseph Smith, nor of any man. He has set His hand to accomplish it, and He has made no mistake. He knows the people of the world, He knows the precious souls there are on the earth today, and He knows the precious souls that are coming right along to our communities. He knows exactly the nature of those who will be born among our neighbors, and He is prepared to take care of those that come into the world. The Gospel will be preached, religious liberty established, and everything prepared for the advancement of the Church of Christ. We need not be disturbed or distressed about the Church ; we need not fear the clouds that gather, for they have always gathered and always will gather, from time to time, until the work is accomplished. The Lord will redeem His people and raise up friends unto them in all nations. He will control the hearts of the children of men, as He will control us for our salvation, if we will listen to Him and let Him help us. If not, we will go to destruction, just like anybody else that is wicked ; and when we leave this world and go to the next we will be under the power of Satan still, unless we serve God with full purpose of heart while we are here. If we will do that, our salvation and eternal liberty is secure. That is a consolation to me, it should be to all Latter-day Saints. ¶

I pray the Lord to bless you, my brethren and sisters, and that His Spirit may attend upon us most generously during the remainder of this conference, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶